A new AA3 Loader application is provided with this release to enhance the front end of AA3. This application will start automatically when launching the game. This tool provides the ability to create or delete soldiers, view your soldier’s Personnel Jacket, view combined player stats, and launch a game server. It also offers updated news, game manual access, and links to the America’s Army website. A new inventory item! The M106 Fast Obscurant Grenade (FOG) will instantly create a cloud of smoke to cover your actions. Essentially, it works like the M83 with one important exception: a short fuse. If you try to cook the M106, it will likely blow up in your hand and cause an injury. A new Up in Smoke” achievement has been added when a teammate is revived within the cover of an M106 smoke cloud. Improved ladder functionality: to mount a ladder, face ladder and press the use” key (spacebar by default). When approaching a ladder from the top, the player will automatically turn and mount the ladder upon hitting the spacebar. This eliminates players from needing to walk backwards to attempt to go down a ladder, missing it, and falling, causing leg damage. As an added benefit, a player may choose to release from the ladder by hitting the spacebar again, thus giving the player more options with dealing with enemies while using ladders.

Gameplay Changes

Change to After Action Review (AAR) panel to better convey the player’s combat effectiveness during the previous round. Added display of achievements for all players on the server so they are shown in the AAR. Interrupting a reload (after seating magazine) now results in a chance of malfunction. Updates to Spacebar Context system to correct several edge cases. This only affects selection when player is within multiple volumes (Vault/Mantle, Ladder climb, healing a teammate, ES2, etc.). Better fix for players that are blocked while climbing ladders continuing to climb through other players, objects, the floor, or into the air on remote clients. Flashbangs were tweaked to make them more effective when deployed indoors. Improved VIP extraction ending – new sounds and proper stopping of countdown and audio when team is killed while extraction is active. Weather handling has been further optimized in Shanty Town to reduce network usage. Implemented the new AG Award when graduating BCT. Zip-tie roll over animation is now played when players are secured. Fix for ‘ladder snake’ bug where player is seen sliding up the ladder after grabbing onto the ladder while sprinting.

UI Change

Fixed the scoreboard to highlight the player’s name in yellow. Bug Fixes A memory usage optimization pass was done to reduce our game client memory footprint. Another network performance pass to reduce bandwidth on glass heavy maps. Fixed Mr Zip Cuff and Tag and Bag localization to reflect actual 50 enemy secured/confirmed in order to earn (rules were correct already). Several hundred minor map related issues (on all maps) were addressed by our LDs. Updates to Leaderboard functionality to increase number of entries, fix to allow full use of character font for names, viewing full Leaderboard no longer overwrites the mini-board values, and adjust UI size to allow longer descriptions in mini-board. Cleanup of a variety of server-side log spam. Removed some client side log spam related to authentication. Cleaned up some inventory logging. M320 no longer miscounts rounds fired or rounds hit. Fixed a TS3 thread hang/deadlock that randomly occurred. Fix for ragdolled enemies not being confirmable. This cuts out the distance check involved for confirming a dead enemy since the ragdolled pawn can travel a considerable distance client side in some situations….such as falling down stairs. Fix for mission type not updating on the team select menu.

Map Fixes/Changes

Alley: Fixed an issue where a few objects were sticking into the wall. Fixed an issue where certain trash bins were not accepting decals. Alley: Fixes involving an ES2 gray bin object labeled as a laptop. Alley – Discovered that there was a wall in buckets that had been duplicated on top of itself. Alley: fixed “hole in world” bug along with a few clipping meshes. Alley: Fixed issue where grenade goes through the fire escapes near the loading dock. Alley: Changed collision volume on the van to better support shooting grenades near it. Alley: Fixed a clipping issue with the dumpster near the hotel boiler room. Alley: Fixed issues that caused the carried objective to be unretrievable. Bridge: Rotated spawn points on the South side in the AO map type. Bridge: Fixed grenade over-pressure issues in the North and South towers. Bridge: Adjusted collision volumes and fixed several clipping issues. Bridge: Comm Volume updates Impact: Updated VIP mission to add smoke and light to the extraction flare Impact – Updated activated objective loading screen mission description Pipeline: Fixed issue where a player can access and fall into a pit at the exterior valve building Pipeline: Fix for unclimbable ‘vine ladder’ Ranch – Added some decals back to the main house, adjusted the v/m volumes around the windows, fixed issue where player can get stuck in the corner of the bridge, and many other minor issues. Ranch – Fixed issue where grenades would go through hay bales. Ranch – Fixed some sound volume issues in Greenhouse. Stronghold: Fixed several clipping issues in arches Stronghold – Fixed inconsistency in bullet penetration on deli walls Stronghold – Fix to Tower Café Patio chairs to allow bullet ricochet. Shantytown: Fix issue to keep players from getting stuck near the docks, and fixed an issue where a player can get stuck under a building. Shantytown – Camera view clipping through wall, floating table, floating grass, adjusted blocking volumes on TV set, corrected Comm volumes on North side of Central building, and many other clipping issues. All maps: Several ES2 object issues fixed. All maps: Adjusted ladder positions to make them all consistent with how the new ladder system is supposed to work. All maps: Variety of Physical materials on object modified/updated. Training: Fixed issue where carriable objective was invisible in training levels. CONEX-MOUT: Updated the shoot-house walls to be bulletproof. This should keep players from accidentally murdering the drill instructor.

Asset Fixes

Changed the physical material from metal to plastic for the blue-grey bins. Added a phys mat to the bathroom sink material. Stronghold_Comm/Env: Added local materials to the package so as to be able to apply the appropriate physical material needed. BFT_Background – Removed extra baked lighting from the VIP mission from the map texture.

Admin Control Panel

Added the ability for ACP admins to kick players to the Spectator Team. Punkbuster panel updates correctly after first use.

Punkbuster Updates

When a player is kicked by PB (directly or via Admin PB kick) the generic PB message is now displayed and when dismissed a “PunkBuster Kick Details” message box is displayed with the detailed reason why the player was kicked.